The real stories from inside the F1 paddock

A sad story in Finland

Former Formula 1 racer and double Le Mans 24 Hours winner JJ Lehto has been seriously injured in a high-speed boating accident in his native Finland. The 44-year-old suffered broken ribs and head injuries but managed to scramble from the water after the crash, but a friend on the boat was killed. Lehto remains in hospital while police investigate the incident which involved a six-metre Sea Ray 210 Fission speedboat, which is capable of 45 knots, thanks to its 300 horsepower engines.

According to the police the wreckage of the boat indicates an impact speed of around 40 knots, in an area where there is a five knot speed limit. This is because the bridge that the boat hit is located is over a canal. The width of the bridge is just 3.8 metres. The boat has a beam of 2.5 metres, which means that there would have been very little clearance on either side, probably around 65 cm.

The accident occurred at four o’clock in the morning. There are reports that the two men had spent the evening at a Chinese restaurant in the town of Raasepori, to the west of Helsinki. They then left the town and headed south to the canal, which gives access to the area of coastal islands, where Lehto has a cottage.

JJ competed in 62 Grands Prix between 1989 and 1994. He went on to win Le Mans in 1995 and 2005. He returned to F1 in 2001 as a commentator with the local MTV3 channel.

At the moment the police do not know who was driving the boat.

The Finnish police have issued this photo of the wreckage of the speedboat.

Sad news, although reading between the lines it seems they may have been messing around! I hope JJ recovers and losing his friend is a terrible thing.

JJ was one of my favourite drivers back in the day and I think its fair to say his ability went unfulfilled in F1. It was great to see him revive his career with a brilliant performance in the Ueno Clinic McLaren at Le Mans and become one of the greatest sportscar drivers of the moment.

I always really rated Lehto and thought he could have been a top F1 driver. Shame he injured his neck almost as soon as the ink was dry on his Benetton contract.

I still remember watching him race in F3 at Knockhill. I can’t remember who was second in that race but I remember his interview on the circuit PA system after it. He said he had never seen anyone drive the way JJ does. He looks like he is going to have an accident at every corner but somehow manages to sort it out and gain time in the corner. I have never heard a driver sound so baffled about how another was beating him.

It’s a reminder of how fragile our lives are… one small mistake and horrible consequences.

At this time we indeed do not know who drove the boat at the time of the accident. It seems it will take a few weeks until the police can take the case forward (or close it, depending on what they find out in their investigations).